I routinely greet adult patients with a handshake. If it’s a child, then a “high-five” usually suffices. In fact, there have been articles chiding physicians for not properly introducing themselves or greeting their patients. Now, it appears that handshakes may become a “no, no” in medical care settings, such as hospitals.

Here is the story behind the story.

Studies have shown that the hands of health-care workers are frequently contaminated with organisms such as bacteria that are associated with various infectious diseases.

As a result, diseases can spread from one person to another just by shaking hands.

One solution to spreading disease via a handshake is thorough hand washing. However, studies have also shown that many physicians and other health care workers do not consistently or effectively wash their hands before seeing patients.

The same can be said of patients who may also be harboring infectious agents. Remember, the reason they are in the hospital is because they are ill, and frequently the illness is due to an infectious disease.

But a handshake between patient and doctor represents more than just a greeting, it has been shown to improve the empathy between both of them. It helps provide a warmer relationship which is so important in the practice of medicine.

Shaking hands in not a new concept and has been present even in ancient Greece. It is almost a universal gesture not only when greeting someone but also when saying goodbye.

And, if patient and doctor can’t shake hands, how do they greet each other?

Will just a wave of the hand and a “Hi, how are you” suffice? Or, should they just bow to each other as it is done in some Asian countries.

When I’m in doubt about some medical finding, I say, “We need more studies.” Yes, handshaking can spread infections, but how serious is it?

Is it serious enough to prohibit the time-honored gesture of shaking hands? In medical facilities do we need to place another sign next to the “No Smoking” sign that says, “No Handshaking?”

I raise my, hopefully, non-contaminated hand in protest to such action. Let’s first be certain that it is necessary and secondly, make greater efforts for all of us to engage in better hand hygiene.

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Massachusetts-based Dr. Murray Feingold is the physician in chief of The Feingold Center for Children, medical editor of WBZ-TV and WBZ radio, and president of the Genesis Fund. The Genesis Fund is a nonprofit organization that funds the care of children born with birth defects, mental retardation and genetic diseases.